Radiographic outcomes and clinical aspects in cats with neutrophilic, eosinophilic, and mixed airway inflammation
In cats, idiopathic Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD) can be categorized into asthmatic or bronchitic IAD. They are also known as eosinophilic and neutrophilic airway diseases, respectively. However, confirmed diagnosis of a particular type depends upon the components of the airway fluid. If a cat suffers from a mixed type of infection, it becomes difficult to diagnose the disease due to the mixed airway fluid.
To recognize the clinical features that could differentiate these inflammatory diseases, a retrospective study included forty-nine cats suffering from nonspecific airway inflammation from 2011 to 2018. The nature of the inflammation was identified by bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). BAL differential cytology cataloged these cats as eosinophilic (having eosinophils more than 20% with neutrophils less than 14%, or eosinophils over 50%) , neutrophilic (with neutrophils more than 14% and eosinophils less than 20% ), or mixed inflammation (with neutrophils over 14% and eosinophils in the 20–50% range). In all these groups, radiographic findings, BAL results, CBC results, body condition scores, and respiratory rates were compared.
After comparison, BAL neutrophilic, eosinophilic, and mixed inflammation was diagnosed in 12, 23, and 14 cats, respectively. In all these groups, the cough was a prominent clinical sign with no difference in duration of other clinical signs. Respiratory rates, radiographic findings, and CBC results were also the same in all groups. However, cats having eosinophilic inflammation were younger than those who were suffering from neutrophilic and mixed inflammation.
The conclusion indicates substantial overlap in radiographic and clinical findings of all the cats having different kinds of idiopathic airway inflammation.
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